Baucham: “Race Is a Social Construct”
During the 2019 Truth Matters Conference at Grace Community Church, Professor Voddie Baucham, Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia said, the idea of race is a social construct. “Race is actually a social construct,” Baucham said. “The concept of race is not a biblical concept. It’s not a biblical idea. It is a constructed idea. You won’t find the idea of races in the Bible unless you find it in the proper historical context where we see, number one, that we are all the race of Adam. One race, one blood. We are all the race…
Has the present pandemic proven our pro-life proclivities?
A deadly plague has stolen the lives of some 17,500 people in Australia so far this year. That’s almost 200 people every day, or one every eight minutes. What plague could possibly be so deadly? It is the plague of abortion. We learn some important lessons when we compare this to how many Australians have lost their lives to the coronavirus so far—a national tally that currently stands at 28. First, it provides us with a much-needed perspective. This is no time for complacency, to be sure. But compared with other potential threats to life or the scale of what could…
Islamic militants behead Christian pastor, Snopes downplays Christian persecution
Islamic militants have beheaded a pastor in Nigeria just days after releasing a ransom video of his pleas for help. Rev. Lawan Andimi, head of the Christian Association in Nigeria’s chapter in his home region, was abducted by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram last month during a raid in the Adamawa state of Nigeria. Days after he was kidnapped, his captors released a video in which Andimi asked his colleagues to call on Gov. Ahmandu Umaru Fintiri to secure his release. “I have never been discouraged because of all conditions that one finds himself in is in the hand…
The Pathological Hatred of the American President
Dr Michael L Brown offers incisive commentary on the pathological hatred of the American President. This article was first published on his website, AskDrBrown.org. Dr Brown will be touring New Zealand and Australia at the end of February as part of the not-to-be-missed Church And State Summit. Trump Takes Out a Terrorist: Good News or Bad? Dr Michael L Brown It’s not every day when major voices as disparate as Piers Morgan and Rush Limbaugh agree. But when it comes to Democratic (and, more widely, liberal) reaction to Trump’s killing of Iranian General Soleimani, Morgan and Limbaugh are singing the…
Love: I do not think it means what you think it means
Those of you who were correctly raised will remember watching the Princess Bride (if truly correctly then many times), a movie that despite all of its ridiculousness is one of the most classic fantasy love tales ever told. You may also recall how Vizzini the scheming kidnapper keeps describing situations involving the witty hero Westley that is happening before his eyes as ‘inconceivable’. Eventually, the honourable and loveable Inigo Montoya eventually says ‘You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.’ Ah, how classic, such a fun movie, but oh what a great…
Why Israel Folau is right about disasters and the judgment of God
Izzy Folau is in the news again for saying something offensive. This time it’s not because of something he posted on social media but what he said in church. If you haven’t done so already, take the time to listen to his twelve-minute sermon before reading any further… However, this time it was not only those in the unbelieving media who were quick to pour scorn n Folau, but many within the Christian Church were eager to distance themselves as well. Everyone from the Prime Minister Scott Morrison—who said that Folau’s comments were “appallingly insensitive”—to Brian Houston who wrote on…
The Stark Contrast Between Joshua Harris and Alice Cooper
American author and Pastor, Greg Laurie’s interview with Alice Cooper is an insightful look into Christian life outside a cloistered Christian culture. The interview was uploaded to YouTube on the 18th of August. Cooper calls himself a prodigal son and gives some background on his life, including his abuse of cocaine, alcoholism, his 43-year-old marriage, the Church and his return to Christ. Though unrelated, the interview presents a stark contrast between Alice Cooper and bestselling ‘Christian’ author, Joshua Harris. I related to it because I came to Christ through the broken, dark alleys of life. I found home through darkened lyrics,…
Justice and Truth in the Public Square
It is fearful how often the condition of ancient Israel resembles that of the modern world. One example of this is found in Isaiah 59: ‘Justice is turned back, and righteousness is far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey’ (Isa.59:14-15a). A modern journalist could have written these words, assuming there is a modern journalist with some understanding of these things. Because Dietrich Bonhoeffer became involved in the conspiracy against Hitler, he had to be unnaturally guarded in all relationships, and…
Freedom of Religion and Belief in the 21st Century: A Christian Response
There are good reasons for rejecting the diagnosis that the problem with religion is that it discriminates, and the proposed cure that it not be allowed to discriminate any longer. 1. The whole approach is putting Australian law on a radically different basis. Christianity teaches its followers to think in terms of right and wrong, but the Australian Human Rights Commission, naturally, thinks in terms of rights. In Christianity, it is a sin to bow down to idols, to murder, to commit adultery, to steal, to be covetous or proud, and so on. The basic law is summarised in the…
Trump Jr slams The Washington Post for downplaying Christian persecution and suggesting Muslims have it worse just one day after 290 Christians were slaughter by Islamic terrorists.
Donald Trump Jr has slammed the Washington Post, after the major American newspaper responded to Sunday’s terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka by downplaying Christian persecution. Just a day after 290 Christians were slaughtered by Islamic terrorists during Easter celebrations, the paper published a piece downplaying the idea that Christianity is under attack, claiming rather “the vast majority of terrorism victims globally are Muslims.” Analysis: Sri Lanka church bombings stoke far-right anger in the West https://t.co/seWuJwgzwG — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 22, 2019 The piece also went on to warn the bombings in Sri Lanka are stoking far-right anger in…
Calling Christians “Easter worshippers” doesn’t just insult the victims of the Islamist attack in Sri Lanka, it rubs salt into a wound felt round the world.
The tally of the Sri Lankan bombings on Resurrection Sunday now stands at 290 people with around 500 more wounded (many of that number include Sri Lankan Christians). CNN reported that ‘two suicide bombers perpetrated the attacks hitting three churches and four luxury hotels.’ The Wall Street Journal noted official statements from the Sri Lankan government, who said that the attacks were perpetrated by an Islamist group known as National Thoweeth Jamath. Apart from some formal condemnations from countries such as Indonesia, the Muslim world remains largely silent. While there are live updates from news organizations, including CNN, there’s no…
A Message to Brian Houston: The World Doesn’t Need More Watered-Down Christians
This week Brian Houston, founder of Hillsong, penned an open letter to Israel Folau criticising the rugby star’s “judgmental” approach to sharing the gospel on social media. Brian then sent the letter to the Sydney Morning Herald who published it under the title: A message to Folau: The world doesn’t need more judgmental Christians. The piece divided opinions, and many, including some of Brian’s own supporters, expressed disappointment in his decision to distance himself from Folau. But that’s not the most concerning aspect of Brian’s letter. Brian doesn’t just take issue with Folau’s approach, he quickly turns his attention to…
The hatred and maliciousness shoved in Folau’s face exemplifies the truth behind the quote he posted
The LGBT community’s grievances and the reason for their sensitivity regarding the Israel Folau controversy are understandable. A non-biblical version of sin has been misused over the years to beat people down, not bring them to faith and repentance. (See Psychiatrist, Karl Menninger’s ‘Whatever Became of Sin?’, 1976) That historical misuse, however, doesn’t justify the unjust writhing and screaming being thrown towards Folau. None of this justifies dehumanizing a man and taking away his bread and butter. None of this justifies any corporation such as Qantas, bullying, via economic sanctions, companies they do business with, such as Rugby Australia. As…
The attacks on Israel Folau come from an ignorance of history. Such ignorance invites tyranny.
In August 1939, the Soviets signed a non-aggression treaty with the Nazis. This treaty was called the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and it allowed the Soviets room to explore Stalin’s expansionist policies. Largely hidden behind the grotesque Abyss of National Socialism’s dark reach for Europe in 1940, Stalin’s Communist forces moved into Poland and Finland. The Soviet offensive against Poland began in September, 1939; the offensive against Finland (known as The Winter War) began in November. Unlike, Poland, Finland had the benefit of only fighting a war on one front. ‘The Winter War’ ended five months later. Finland lost some territory, but…
Where God’s revelation meets the West and all the rest
Karl Barth and Roger Scruton make unlikely conversation partners. Barth, was a Reformed Swiss theologian, who held up the distinction between theology and philosophy, and Scruton, is a British philosopher, talks theology, but knows his limits on the subject. The meeting between the two takes place in Barth’s On Religion and Scruton’s, The West and All the Rest. Together they provide a telescopic view of modern religio-politics and the socio-political landscape of contemporary Western society. One big theme for Scruton is the relationship between the ‘social contract’ and Creed communities (or communities bound by religious law). One clear example of…
Pregnancy is now viewed as a sexually transmitted disease. What the gun control debate and abortion have in common.
I once commented on a post put up by a friend, who was applauding the increasing number of people supporting DACA “dreamers”, and gun control in the United States. In the comments section I spoke plainly, saying that abortion has to be part of this debate and that any theologian who support people screaming, “punch a Nazi”, are hypocrites if they don’t include in their outrage, controls on the systematic slaughter of infants whilst they are still in the womb. I did this because as has been witnessed in the latter part of this week people have taken to hashtagging…
Three reasons you can’t be a Marxist and a Christian
On ABC’s episode of Q&A this week, feminist columnist Van Badham boldly declared that she is both a ‘Marxist’ and a ‘Christian.’ Whilst many applauded, I sense that deep down a large percentage of viewers were rightly questioning this oxymoronic admission. One of those people was Jordan Peterson. Reflecting on his participation on the Q&A panel in his 12 Rules for Life seminar the next night, Jordan Peterson highlighted the impossibility of being both a Christian and a Marxist due to the inherently contradictory claims of each worldview. While I believe Peterson is right, I am convicted that we must…
Christian social policy should consist of more than just demanding the freedom to say some things in our own little corner of the public space.
As Western society becomes more bullying in its attitude towards Christians, there has been an increasing tendency on the part of many believers to be content with arguing for our space in the public square. There has been a reluctance to call on unbelievers to repent, and even an assumption that unbelievers cannot be expected to hold the same moral views as Christians. It is true that without the Holy Spirit, the Christian message will simply seem to be foolishness to those who hear it (1 Cor.2:14). However, God has written His moral law on the hearts of all human…
Banning the Holy Spirit and chaining the Word
As Western societies lurch from one disastrous fad to another, there have been increased efforts to ban what are called gay conversion therapies. Hollywood has naturally offered its obligatory contribution with the movie Boy Erased, Academia chipped in with a report from La Trobe University – the institution that birthed the Safe Schools Coalition – which joined with the Human Rights Law Centre and Gay & Lesbian Health Victoria to produce research to show that ‘LGBT conversion therapy remains a real problem in Australian religious communities.’ The Victorian government over 2016-2017 banned such therapy, and the Conservative government in the…
We serve whatever our hearts are tethered to
What people think matters; how people see us matters. We anchor ourselves to the opinions and values of others. Men and women latch their value to the people we see as giving us value. Our worth is then neatly packaged into the confined space of that other person’s thoughts and whims. This is all okay up to a point. Humans were built for community, we need good government and organisation; men and women, living in fellowship, not in isolation, are human together. However, people tethering themselves to the thoughts of others without caution, spells potential disaster. For example, when we…
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